With sister state California still on fire, and with hundreds of Texas-based fire and emergency personnel traveling and having relocated to join others in helping deal with a national tragedy, the governor of the great state of Texas, as we always address it, uses a social media platform to threaten the job of a true gentleman, and native Texan, who served our nation in military service, Ret'd. Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, as he has taken on the mantle of the 27th President of Texas A&M.
Let’s review: just two weeks ago this same governor sent condolences to the late President Jimmy Carter’s wife, Mrs. Rosalyn Carter, who he clearly did not know had been deceased since November 2023. I was embarrassed to be a Texan by that episode for two reasons: not only did the “leader” of our state not know that such a grand lady had passed away, apparently not one single person in the chain of command of considering, preparing, and sending those remarks out into the public media channels know this fact either. How many ignorant people does that total in the Texas “Lege”?
The term “Lone Star State” is a frequent moniker, but I can’t help but think that some within the leadership, like some who reside within the state are such isolationists that not only do they care nothing else about the people outside their daily world, they have no education, appreciation, or understanding of the amazing and voluminous differences by which all of us as citizens come together to form the United States of America. They don’t know, and they don’t care. Gov. Greg Abbott is one of those.
Lt. Governor Dan Patrick has similarly used social media and television to hold a Texas A&M faculty member up for both ridicule and speculation that pervades the accomplished woman with the proverbial “cloud over her head” for the remainder of her career, and the retraction of what it was she was “supposed to have said” was back of paper in small font and so belated that the damage was already done. One person’s career being ruined is not to be overlooked. The smoke of false fire lingers permanently. And yet, some people will defend those who commit the offense no matter what.
Gov. Abbott has made more than one public showing of fealty and likely fear-based enthusiasm for decisions made at levels higher than his. As an example, his “instruction” that all U.S. flags will be flying at full staff on January 20, Inauguration Day, to follow lockstep the wishes of the one person who holds the budget of the state of Texas in his singular hands, the recently elected 47th President of the United States.
So, one most ask the basic question: does the fear of withholding funding from a budget of an executive who answers to you make it right? Is it a fit and intelligent way to govern, by fear? Is bullying really required in the field of public service these days? It wasn’t that way before.
I grew up as the daughter of a career civil service employee; my mother was a secretary at Kelly AFB (back when it was alive and thriving), and she worked on the reports of aerospace engineers who would go inspect various engine failures. She had a top-secret clearance as standard procedure in her work.
In the 1960s, no federal employee could wear even a simple campaign button during election season. No home yard could display a political candidate sign by government policy to maintain a strict apolitical environment. “Back in the day” people respected differences of opinion and laws and policies were enacted, and important positive changes came with the Civil Rights Act to give people equal treatment under the law.
Meanwhile at Texas A&M, things developed a little more slowly here. It was not until legendary president James Earl Rudder (together with Texas Speaker of the Senate W. T. “Bill” Moore, Sr, that women were “allowed” to be officially admitted to TAMU ca. 1970. A few girls had been allowed to enroll for classes previously but not in any kind of recruiting capacity or movement. Thanks to Rudder and Moore, I was able to enroll at Texas A&M in 1974 as a freshman in chemical engineering.
Of all the professors I had the opportunity to learn from, only two expressed any level of disdain that I was a woman studying engineering. With the first experience, I learned to label all my papers with initials rather than my first name and all of a sudden, my grades went up. The second experience found a former advisor suggesting that I marry an engineer rather than try to become one. At the time, I remained respectful and found another professor to be able to answer my specific questions on the subject.
My reaction to both was not to take it personally. Even though I was two years younger than my classmates thanks to starting school early, I looked to the long-term outcome rather than the short-term payoff. I never once spoke unkindly of either professor. When I crossed the stage with my B.S. degree in chemical engineering, that day George Mitchell was the guest speaker, the professor who suggested I marry an engineer, jumped off the dais to run and greet me, shook my hand, and I responded sincerely in kind, when he said, “I always knew you could do it!” I said, “Yes, sir, you did, and thank you.”
Flash forward to 30 years later. I’m sitting in a pew at a church in Bryan one Sunday morning, visiting First Presbyterian Church because Emily Pulley was singing. Turns out he entered the pew from the other side and took a place next to me. We shook hands and visited briefly before service started. He asked what I was doing “now” and I told him that I was consulting for three locations of a chemical company in the Gulf Coast area. He smiled and said, “That’s wonderful! I’m so proud of you” and then he said, “If you ever have any overflow work, I’d be happy to help you out!” And I smiled and looked at him straight in the eyes and said, “Yes sir, thank you for letting me know.”
It was not because it was a church, or a Sunday, or anything to do with religion. I was just raised to be a lady first, and I was taught that you don’t always have to have the last word. You just have to have the right ones at the time. You cannot undo years of discrimination against people with laws that are not enforced. However, you cannot undo years of ignorance by removing laws that were put in place in the first place to protect the unprotected.
People sometimes would rather wash away their own inadequacies by searching for logic and reason among similarly unqualified pseudo-intellectuals who commiserate and comment in the dubious “nodding head” like the little bobble heads that traveled in the back of your car windows, also back in the day.
Texas has come under such ridicule for so many things. Former Governor Rick Perry couldn’t remember one of the three branches of government when running for president. At least he released his transcript for A&M. He was elected four times and whatever he did in office, Texas remained tax-free, and a popular destination for businesses to locate their headquarters.
I was fortunate to be able to work my way through Texas A&M as I earned four degrees, one of which is in educational administration, higher education with program evaluation specialty. I say this only to qualify my opinion with credentials sufficient to back it up. I will always remember with respect and regard who some of the truest, best leaders of Texas A&M have been, including Dr. Jack K. Williams, Dr. Tom Harrington, Gen. Earl Rudder, Dr. Robert Gates, and Dr. Jarvis Miller. Dr. Bowen Loftin was beloved by the students but not as much his faculty. To the students, he was a rock star. Your mileage may vary but this is my experience and observation.
As a rule, women as leaders of A&M have made very little impact, particularly in the ranks of vice president or higher. One early 1980s era female VP was remembered for her two-piece blue suits, 1950s white blouses with long flouncy bow to tie and virtually not one word of dissent to utter in any meeting. Another former assistant provost was given the title out of respect, not credentials, because she knew how to clean up the messes of her bosses without calling them out on them, and she never gossiped to others about what she’d done. She had the last laugh if not the last say.
There was another woman, an exemplary dean, championed by her male peers who created much change in her administration, but she did not like being challenged or questioned and exercised just as much “I’m going to remember that” retribution as the infamously notorious John Robert Smith in his role as czar of finance of administration.
By and large, though, not until Dr. Elsa Murano was chosen was it specifically clear that she was far above her comfort zone. Things were fine until (and this is my opinion) she asked for a particular department to pay its fair share of something and then all havoc broke loose. Rather than question her decisions, people questioned why she didn’t use hair spray. Until Kathy Banks came along, we didn’t have another woman in charge.
Thanks to John Sharp, two women were named as “super deans,” Dr. Kathy Banks (Engr.) and Dr. Eleanor Green (Vet. Med.) and one became president. Chancellor Sharp found a willing collaborator in subsuming small schools and rebranding them as Texas A&M ‘at’ the geographic locations. Kathy Banks had two groups of employees, those “fer” her and those “agin” her, and that’s up to the academics to sort out. Her inability to make a simple coherent speech at a Chamber of Commerce meeting was all I needed to hear to understand that she was working far beyond her pay grade as she was clearly out of touch outside the world of academia.
What, then, is the point? The fact is that no matter who has been in charge of Texas A&M, some blue-ribbon panel or other, some national search firm has been hired and touted and routed and candidates vetted, and fellow academics consulted on the opinions of the final choice.
What is relevant is that no state elected official has ever had a final say on anything but what athletic conference we play in (thanks again, Bob Bullock, for the SEC). Until today. Yes, TAMU leadership is under the purview of the Board of Regents, each of whom is appointed by the governor. But will he want to fire all of them at once until he reaches consensus "his way"?
When Gov. Abbott decides to play Texas tough guy and threaten, as obtusely as possible, the head of this university to the extent that a statement of clarification is issued that appears to be a “mea culpa” it's a sad day indeed. Frankly, it was the exercising of power that was never granted to Gov. Abbott in the first place. Gen. Welsh is the ultimate commander in showing a level of respect to a man who does not even respect a former president of the United States. Nor does he have a clear understanding of the words "chain of command."
Gov. Abbott showed disrespect to President Carter by being unknowledgeable that Mrs. Carter had predeceased her husband by 14 months and again by being the bobble head who said, U.S. flags will fly at full staff on Inauguration Day, against a permanent tradition otherwise.
My final points are these:
1. Gen. Welsh is the best thing to happen to Texas A&M in decades. He has the respect and consensus of the faculty, staff, and the students. Should anyone attempt to threaten or remove him as University President threatens the sanctity and security of the future of Texas A&M. He is to TAMU as Admiral William McRaven is to the University of Texas, the right person at the right time for two of the greatest jobs in academics.2. I am weary of politicians who believe their own hype about their own power and who use that power to bully, willfully obstruct progress, and to prevent the advancement of clear thinking and the will of the majority to do what is right in the right situation.
3. I feel comfortable in expressing my opinions in not working for the state of Texas nor Texas A&M University but don’t expect those who do to chime in with an opinion, for obvious reasons—fear of losing jobs. Local business owners and retirees can comment as they wish, though.
My hope for the year 2025 is clarity of thought, wisdom beyond what we are seeing and hearing now, and a corrective course of action where we can all feel free to be as successful as possible without blaming personal failure on someone else. Accountability follows wisdom, and real heroes are made everyday by those who refuse to follow lockstep the words of a leader who is simply not worth respect. In military service, you don’t question your superiors, you follow their commands or suffer the consequences.
Greg Abbott had no military service at all, and the tragic accident which caused him to be paralyzed below the waist occurred when he was 27 years old, so he did have the opportunity to enlist had he wished to before, during, or after college. He chose not to.
Perhaps the phrase “service above self” is unfamiliar around the state capitol these days, although we have some excellent people there indeed, others not so much, but I would highly hope and pray that someone get some common sense fast and shut down the path of destruction that lies ahead should the bullying and threatening on social media continue. Ironic that the media is owned no less, by another powerful person who was not elected to any office seems to hold tremendous sway. Money talks. Yawn.
Words are powerful, but actions speak louder than words. In Gov. Abbott’s case, his best next action will never be an apology to Gen. Welsh, but it should be. True men of Texas know when and how to admit that they are wrong. The others just whine and seek solace among like-minded individuals and sing along to "There's a Tear in My Beer." The future of Texas, and of Texas A&M and the University of Texas is in the hands of a very few people. May God bless each of them with the wisdom needed not to destroy what it has taken hundreds of years to build.